The last functioning major hospital in northern Gaza, Kamal Adwan Hospital, has ceased operations following Israel raid by forces. The facility, which provided critical healthcare to the remaining 75,000 residents in northern Gaza, was heavily damaged, leaving its wards empty of patients and medical staff. During the raid, Israeli forces detained the hospital’s director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, accusing him of being a Hamas operative.
This development has further strained the fragile healthcare system in Gaza, with the World Health Organization (WHO) confirming that critically ill patients from Kamal Adwan Hospital were transferred to the Indonesian Hospital and Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. However, the Indonesian Hospital is itself out of operation, compounding the crisis. The WHO announced plans to relocate patients further south for continued care.
The director of Al Awda Hospital, a nearby facility severely damaged by airstrikes, described the healthcare system in northern Gaza as being in a state of complete collapse. The hospital is overcrowded with patients and is running low on supplies and fuel. With only one surgeon available, surgeries are performed only in life-threatening situations. Evacuating patients requiring specialized treatment has also been hindered, as approval from the Israeli military is required for the Red Cross to transfer cases to southern Gaza.
Intensified Military Operations
The Israel Raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital coincided with intensified Israeli aerial and ground operations in northern Gaza, targeting what the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described as a renewed Hamas presence. The Israel raid military reported detaining over 240 alleged Hamas and Islamic Jihad members near the hospital and claimed the facility was being used as a Hamas stronghold. The IDF further accused the hospital of serving as a command and control center for Hamas, although no evidence was provided to substantiate this claim.
Dr. Abu Safiya’s arrest has drawn widespread condemnation from Palestinians, the United Nations, and rights organizations. Amnesty International referred to him as a critical figure in Gaza’s healthcare sector and criticized Israel for detaining healthcare workers without charge or trial. Amnesty also highlighted instances of medical professionals being subjected to torture and held in incommunicado detention.
Israel Raid Humanitarian Aid Blocked
As northern Gaza’s healthcare facilities shut down, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that aid deliveries to the region remain severely restricted. Since early December, Israeli authorities have denied 48 out of 52 UN attempts to coordinate humanitarian access to northern Gaza.
Jonathan Whittall, acting head of OCHA in Gaza, stated that his team has been denied entry to northern Gaza over 140 times, leaving them unable to provide even basic assistance. The situation has been compounded by freezing temperatures, and worsening conditions for those without adequate shelter or resources. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported the death of a 20-day-old newborn from the cold, marking the fifth such death in a week.
Although the IDF claimed to have delivered fuel, food, and medical supplies to northern Gaza before the weekend raid, aid organizations on the ground reported significant shortages. The cold weather, combined with malnutrition and injuries, has created a dire situation for Gaza’s population.
A Worsening Crisis
Medical professionals warn that the intersection of hypothermia, malnutrition, and untreated injuries is creating a deadly crisis. Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta described this combination as a triad of death, emphasizing that Gaza’s residents are succumbing to conditions that would be survivable under normal circumstances.
As northern Gaza plunges further into a humanitarian and medical emergency, calls for urgent international intervention are growing. However, with limited access for aid organizations and ongoing military operations, the situation remains critical for those trapped in the enclave.
